Venom, French Assault, 1985

• Nightmare
• Bloodlust
• In Nomine Satanas

Originally began as a 5-piece called Guillotine with Clive Archer on vocals, Alan Winston on bass and Cronos on rhythm guitar. Archer and Mantas met at a Judas Priest concert in 1979 which led to Archer and Abaddon (both of the band Oberon) joining Guillotine.

After joining his high school band Dwarfstar, Cronos joined Guillotine as a guitarist in 1978, where he met Mantas. In 1980, the original bass player left one week before a gig. Instead of not playing the venue, Cronos took up the bass and they changed the band name to Venom. He continued to play the bass throughout his career in Venom.

• Countess Bathory (Live)
• Powerdrive
• Bursting Out

“In the name of Satan, We’ll achieve our goal, With the blessings of Hades, We’ll outlive our role…” Cronos, Mantas, Abaddon

Celtic Frost, To Mega Therion, 1985, (First Wave XXXII)

• Innocence And Wrath – is this the first instance of a Black Metal track using orchestration…
• The Usurper – clean vocals, over a discordant Black Metal thunder…
• Jewel Throne – Slayeresque vocals and riffing Black Metal…
• Dawn Of Meggido – more orchestration in a dirge, post BM..?
• Eternal Summer – Blackened Thrash, inspiration for many Germanic thrash metal…
• Circle Of The Tyrants – a classic of any era…
• (Beyond The) North Winds – Trve Cvlt…
• Fainted Eyes – Blackened death metal…
• Tears In A Prophet’s Dream – the inspiration for ambient post Black Metal starts here…
• Necromantical Screams – taking Venom’s female choral vocals to the Black Metal template…

“After the battle is over, And the sands drunken the blood, All what there remains, Is the bitterness of delusion…” Tom Gabriel Warrior, Dominic Steiner, Reed St Mark

 

Venom, American Assault, 1985

• Rip Tide – Riding in the air nocturnal, Living free, Rip Ride…
• Bursting Out – Hell has granted me three wishes, Life – Death – Immortality , I will ride the wings of darkness, Fuck your blessed trinity…
• Dead Of The Night – Castrate humanity, The woman smells the game…
• 7 Gates Of Hell (Live) – See the wizard cast his spell, Search for the keys to,
  The seven gates of Hell… 
• Countess Bathory (Live) – All day long the virgins sit and feast on endless meals, The Countless laughs and sips her wine – her skin doth crack and peel…
• Welcome To Hell (Live) – Asking me for the mercy of god, Ancient cries crying,
  Acting fast upon the way of the dog…

“Welcoming the virgins fair, to live a noble life, In the castle known to all – the Count’s internal wife, She invites the peasants with endless lavish foods,
But, when evening spreads it wings, she rapes them of their blood, Countess Bathory,
Countess Bathory…” Cronos, Mantas, Abaddon.

 

Kreator, Rehearsal, 1985

• Tormentor – Blackened thrash metal with Black Metal vocals…
• Total Death – cruel raw Black Metal…
• Storm Of The Beast – channeling Judas Priest
• Endless Pain – a great rehearsal of a classic track

“Baphomet’s calling death is now real, Helldogs and demons waiting to kill, Pentagrams shining Lucifer smiles, Fucking the virgin rip our her eyes…”  Millie Petrozza, Roberto Fioretti, Ventor